Мидраш к Бамидбар 33:1

(Numb. 33:1:) THESE ARE THE STAGES <BY WHICH> OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL <WENT FORTH FROM THE LAND OF EGYPT>. Let our master instruct us: When a person is being pursued by robbers and brigands,¹Gk.: lestai. is it permissible for such a one to profane the Sabbath. Thus have our masters taught: When a person is being pursued by robbers and brigands, such a one does profane the Sabbath to save his life.²Tanh., Numb. 10:1; Numb. R. 23:1; see RH 2:5; ‘Eruv 45a; Ta‘an. 14a. We therefore find in the case of David, that when Saul sought to kill him, he fled from him and was saved.³According to Men. 95b, David’s eating of the consecrated bread (I Sam. 21:7 [6]) on the day of his flight (vs. 11 [10]) took place on the Sabbath. Our masters have said: Once upon a time evil documents came from the Empire for the leading citizens of Sepphoris.⁴The traditional Tanhuma, Numb. 10:1, adds, “On the Sabbath.” <The citizens> came to R. Eliezer ben Parta <and> said to him: Evil documents have come to us from the Empire. What do you say? Shall we flee? Since he was afraid to tell them to flee on the Sabbath, he said to them: Are you asking me? Go and ask Jacob, Moses, and David. With reference to Jacob, it is written (in Hos. 12:13 [12]): THEN JACOB FLED. With reference to Moses, it is written (in Exod. 2:15): BUT MOSES FLED FROM PHARAOH. With reference to David, it is written (in I Sam. 19:18) NOW DAVID FLED AND ESCAPED. It also says (in Is. 26:20): GO, MY PEOPLE, ENTER YOUR CHAMBERS…. But where is it shown that the saving of life overrides the Sabbath? Where it is written (in Lev. 18:5): YOU SHALL KEEP MY STATUTES AND ORDINANCES, FOR IT IS THROUGH PERFORMING THEM THAT A PERSON SHALL LIVE and not die through them. It is also written, with reference to circumcision (in Lev. 12:3): AND ON THE EIGHTH DAY THE FLESH OF HIS FORESKIN SHALL BE CIRCUMCISED, even on the Sabbath. Now are not < these > words <an argument> qal wahomer? If circumcision, which concerns <but> one out of the 248 [human] members, overrides the Sabbath, how much the more in the case of the whole body. The Holy One said [to Israel]: My children, be mindful of my ordinances and keep the Torah, for how many miracles and wonders have I done for you from the day that you went forth from Egypt! I cast down those who hated you, I had you pass through the sea, I cast fear and trembling on your enemies, I destroyed the Amorites along with Sihon and Og, and during the whole forty years that you were in the wilderness I did not forsake you for a single hour. Moreover, how many snakes and scorpions did I exterminate in your presence. It is so stated (in Deut. 8:15): (GOD) WHO LED YOU THROUGH THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE WILDERNESS WITH ITS FIERY SERPENTS AND SCORPIONS. Therefore, the Holy One said to Moses: Write down the stages by which Israel journeyed in the wilderness, so that they will know how many miracles I performed for them during each and every stage. {Thus it is stated (in Numb. 33:1–2):} [Where is it shown? From what they read on the matter (in Numb. 33:1–2):] THESE ARE THE STAGES <BY WHICH> THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL <WENT FORTH FROM THE LAND OF EGYPT>…. AND MOSES WROTE DOWN THEIR STARTING POINGS, STAGE BY STAGE, ACCORDING TO THE COMMAND OF THE LORD.

"These are the journeys of the Children of Israel" (Numbers 33:1). This is what is stated in the verse (Psalms 77:21), "You led (nachita) Your people like a flock through Moshe and Aharon." What is [the meaning of] nachita? It is the expression of an acrostic: Rabbi Eliezer says, "You did Nissim (miracles) for them; You gave them Chaim (life); You split the Yam suf for them; You gave them the Torah through Moshe and Aharon." R. Yehoshua says, "You did Niflaot (wonders) for them; You gave them Cherut (freedom); Yamincha (Your right hand) delivered them; You gave them Tilluy rosh (holding the head high) through Moshe and Aharon." R. Akiva says, "You did Noraot (dreadful things) to their enemies; You sentCharon af (waxing anger) against them and you fought against them; You covered them with Tehomot (depths) through Moshe and Aharon." Rabbi said, "Nevi'im (prophets) did You raise up from them; Hasidim(saints) did You raise up from them; Hasidim (saints) did You raise up from them; Yesharim (upright) did You raise up from them; Temimim (unblemished ones) did You raise up from them through Moshe and Aharon." What is [the meaning of] flock? Just like one does not bring a flock under the shade of a roof (indoors), so too Israel when they were in the wilderness was not brought under the shade of a roof for forty years. Just like a flock does not have storerooms collected for them but rather only graze from the wilderness, so too Israel for the forty years that they were in the wilderness were fed without storehouses. And just like a flock follows to anywhere that the shepherd leads them, so too Israel journeyed to any place that Moshe and Aharon took them, as it is stated, "These are the journeys of the Children of Israel" - in order to fulfill that which is written, "You led Your people like a flock through Moshe and Aharon."

A Halakha: Is one who is pursued by non-Jews or bandits allowed to transgress the laws of Sabbath? Our Rabbis taught: One who is pursued by non-Jews or bandits is permitted to transgress the laws of Sabbath, in order to save his life. Thus we also find with David: When Saul attempted to kill him, he fled and escaped. Our Rabbis said: It once happened that they came to the [Jewish] leadership in Sepphoris with harsh orders from the [Roman] government. They went and said to R. Elazar b. Parta: O Rabbi! We have received harsh orders from the government. What do you say we should do, should we flee? He feared telling them to flee explicitly, so he hinted to them: "Why are you asking me? Go and ask Yaakov, Moshe, and David". What does it say about Yaakov? (Hosea 12): "And Jacob fled." Also about Moshe, (Exodus 2): "Moshe fled." And also about David, (I Samuel 19): "David fled and escaped." It also says (Isaiah 26): "Go my people, enter your rooms." The Holy One, Blessed be He, said to them: Such great ones were fearful and fled from those who hated them, yet for those forty years that you were in the desert, I did not let them flee. Instead I felled all their haters before them, in that I myself that was with them. Not only that, but there were all kinds of snakes, serafim, and scorpions there: (Deuteronomy 8): "Snakes, sefarim, and scorpions", yet I did not allow them to hurt you. Therefore The Holy One Blessed Be He said to Moshe: Record the journeys that Israel undertook in the desert, it order that they should know what kind of miracles I performed from them. How [will they know]? From all that they read regarding "These are the journeys".

2 This is what is stated in the verse (Psalms 77:21), "You led (nachita) Your people like a flock through Moshe and Aharon." What is [the meaning of] nachita? It is the expression of an acrostic: Rabbi Eliezer says, "You did Nissim (miracles) for them; You gave them Chaim (life); You split the Yam Suf (Reed Sea) for them; You gave them the Torah through Moshe and Aharon." Rabbi Yehoshua says, "You did Niflaot (wonders) for them; You gave them Cherut (freedom); Yamincha (Your right hand) delivered them; You gave them Tilluy rosh (holding the head high) through Moshe and Aharon." Our masters said, "Nevi'im (prophets) did You raise up from them; Hasidim (saints) did You raise up from them; Yesharim (upright ones) did You raise up from them; Temimim (unblemished ones) did You raise up from them through Moses and Aharon." Another interpretation [of] nachita: Rabbi Akiva says, "You did Noraot (dreadful things) to their enemies; You sentCharon af (waxing anger) against them and You fought against them; You covered them with Tehomot (depths) through Moshe and Aharon. Another interpretation of (Psalms 77:21), "You led Your people like a flock": What is [the meaning of] flock? Just like one does not bring a flock under the shade of a roof (indoors), so too Israel when they were in the wilderness were not brought under the shade of a roof for forty years. Hence they were compared to a flock. Another interpretation of (Psalms 77:21), "You led Your people like a flock": Just like a flock does not have storerooms collected for them but rather only graze from the wilderness, so too Israel for the forty years that they were in the wilderness were fed without storehouses. . Hence they were compared to a flock. Another interpretation of (Psalms 77:21), "You led Your people like a flock": And just like a flock follows to anywhere that the shepherd leads them, so too Israel journeyed to any place that Moshe and Aharon took them, as it is stated, "These are the journeys of the Children of Israel" - in order to fulfill that which is stated, "You led Your people like a flock through Moshe and Aharon."

3 (Numbers 33:1) "These are the stages of the Children of Israel": [The matter] is comparable to a king whose son was ill. He brought him to a certain place to heal him. When they returned, his father began recounting the stages, “Here we slept. Here we cooled off. Here you had a headache.” Similarly the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moshe, "Recount to them all the places where they provoked Me." It is therefore stated (in Numbers 33:1), "These are the stages...."

4 Another interpretation: Why did all these stages (places) merit to be written in the Torah? Since they received (accommodated) Israel, the Holy One, blessed be He, will give them their reward in the future. It is so stated (in Isaiah 35:1-2), "The arid desert shall be glad.... It shall blossom abundantly, it shall also exult...." And if the desert [will receive] such for receiving Israel; one who receives a Torah scholar into his home, all the more so [will he be rewarded]. You find that in the future the desert will be a settlement and a settlement will be a desert. And where is it shown a settlement will be a desert in the future? It is so stated (Malachi 1:3), "And I have hated Esav and will make his hills a desolation." And where is it shown a desert will be a settlement in the future? It is so stated (Isaiah 41:8), "I will make a desert into a lake of water." Now there are no trees in the desert, but there will be trees there in the future, as stated (Isaiah 41:19), "I will put cedar and acacia in the desert...." Now there is no path there, as it is all sand. But there will be a path there in the future, as stated (Isaiah 43:19), "I will place a path in the desert […]." And it states (Isaiah 35:8), "And there will be a highway there, and it shall be called the Sacred Way [...]."